Molded decorative grille

ABSTRACT

A DECORATIVE GRILLE, PRIMARILY FOR STORM DOORS OR WINDOWS, IN WHICH THE DESIGN IS AN INTERLOCKING COMPOSITE OF INDIVIDUAL MOLDED PLASTIC SCROLL ELEMENTS. THE SCROLL ELEMENTS HAVE INTEGRALLY FORMED OUTWARDLY EXTENDING PINS AND INTEGRALLY MOLDED TAPERED HOLES WHICH SNAP INTO EACH OTHER WITH AN EXTRUDED RAIL BAR SANDWICHED THEREBETWEEN. UPPER AND LOWER ROWS OF SCROLL ELEMENTS SLIDABLY ENGAGE WITHIN RESPECTIVE TRANSVERSE CHANNELS BY MEANS OF INTEGRALLY MOLDED EARS AND ARE LOCKED IN PLACE BY BARS INSERTED WITHIN THE COMPLEMENTARY SPACE. SIDE CHANNEL MEMBER AND CONNECTED IN MITERED DISPOSITION WITH THE UPPER AND LOWER CHANNELS BY SCREWS THREADED INTO TAPPED HOLES IN TEH ENDS OF THE BAR TO DEFINE A FRAME.

' Nov. 23, 1971 N, CUTLER 3,621,631

MOLDED DECORATIVE GRILLE Filed NOV. 13, 1969 HG/ T? /6 C FIG. 5 B C 58 36mg r 64 c 45 52 /50 30 if 40 M 3 INVENTOR NORMAN CUTLER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,621,631 MOLDED DECORATIVE GRILLE Norman Cutler, Wyncote, Pa., assignor to Royal Factories, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa. Filed Nov. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 876,378 Int. Cl. E04c 2/42; F16s 3/08 US. Cl. 52-626 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A decorative grille, primarily for storm doors or windows, in which the design is an interlocking composite of individual molded plastic scroll elements. The scroll elements have integrally formed outwardly extending pins and integrally molded tapered holes which snap into each other with an extruded rail bar sandwiched therebetween. Upper and lower rows of scroll elements slidably engage within respective transverse channels by means of integrally molded ears and are locked in place by bars inserted within the complementary space. Side channel members are connected in mitered disposition with the upper and lower channels by screws threaded into tapped holes in the ends of the bar to define a frame.

This invention relates to decorative grilles primarily intended for storm doors and windows.

In the past, storm door or window grilles were made up of individual scroll elements, which were made of cast aluminum or aluminum bar stock bent into the desired shape, and then assembled by means of a plurality of screws and/ or rivets into the composite design. Such prior constructions were relatively expensive because of the many hand operations involved in drilling and riveting the parts together in addition to the inherent cost of aluminum components.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a decorative grille whose component scroll elements are molded of plastic and then assembled by snap fitting the parts together in interlocking disposition.

Another object of this invention is to provide a decorative grille which can be fabricated and assembled with a minimum of screw and/ or rivet operations.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a decorative grille in which only two screws per row of scroll elements are required to assemble the entire composite design within a frame.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a decorative grille of extremely light weight.

Yet still another object of this invention is to provide a molded plastic decorative storm door grille which gives the illusion of a wrought iron grille.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a new and unique method for fabricating a decorative grille.

Other objects of this invention are to provide an improved device of the character described that is sturdy in construction, easily and economically produced and which is highly efficient and effective in operation.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a storm door or window grille embodying this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2.

3,621,631 Patented Nov. 23, 1971 FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 or FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of molded scroll elements embodied in this invention preparatory to being snapped into locked disposition with respect to each other on a transverse rail member.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of another design for a scroll element embodied in this invention.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawing in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, I show a decorative grille, generally designated as A, which is adapted to be assembled within and mounted upon a storm door or window B by means of a frame, generally designated as C.

The frame C includes a pair of vertical channel members 12 and 14 which are secured in mitered disposition with the upper and lower channel members 16 and 18. All of the channel members are preferably extruded aluminum which may have an anodized or baked enamel coating. The frame C is ultimately secured in faceto-face disposition with the door B (or window) about the opening thereof by means of sheet metal screws 20 as shown in FIG. 3. The door or window B is formed of aluminum panels and extrusions in a conventional manner and is adapted to support interchangeable glass panels or screen inserts within tracks or channels provided thereon for such purpose. However, the instant invention is only concerned with the grille member A and its manner of fabrication and assembly within the frame C.

The grille A comprises a plurality of individual scroll or decorative elements All which are each molded of a suitable plastic composition, such as A.B.S. (acrylonitrilebutadienne-styrene resin). While the scroll elements A1 are desirably of identical design and preferably symmetrical in configuration, almost any geometric or assymmetric shape may be employed. For example, the design illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6 inclusive is a rectangular scroll configuration known as a Grecian Key design. However, any geometric design arrangement may be employed, such as arcuate, or rectilinear pattern and combinations thereof, and any motif may be utilized, including those of Spanish, Moorish or Italian derivation. In FIG. 7, there is shown a combined arcuate and triangular scroll element A2.

Referring now in greater detail to FIG. 6, each scroll element A1 includes a design portion 30 having on opposing edges thereof an outwardly extending integrally molded pin 32 and spaced therefrom an inwardly tapered hole 34. Each hole 34- is 0.215 inch in diameter at the distal surface, for example, and converges to approximately 0.195 inch at the proximal surface. Each of the pins 32 is 0.185 to 0.190 inch in diameter, for example, and includes a head 36 which is perhaps 0.205 inch diameter. Thus, when the pins 32 are pressed through the registering tapered holes 34, they are resiliently squeezed through the narrowest portion therof until the head 36 emerges from the proximal surface and locks. A pseudo-head 38 is formed on the proximal site of the design 30. As will be set forth in further detail hereinafter, when interlocking pairs of scroll elements A1 together, a rectangular bar 40 of extruded aluminum stock is incorporated and sandwiched therebetween. Each bar or rail 40 includes a plurality of inch drilled holes 42 which are spaced from each other by a distance corresponding to the spacing between centerlines of pins 32 and the holes 34. In a 36 inch wide door, it is esthetically practical for three scroll elements A1 or A2 to be longitudinally snapped into locked disposition with respect to each other along each rail bar 40 on opposed sides thereof.

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the scroll elements A1 are locked together with a rail element 410 therebetween by forcing the pin heads 36 through the aligned tapered holes 34 after the pins 32 themselves have passed through the openings 42. The ends of the rails 40 are interfit within vertical channels 44 defined in the extruded side members 12 and 14. A screw 46 passing through an aperture in the bight of channel 44 threadedly engages a tapped hole axially extending into the end of the rail bar. In this manner, all scroll elements A1 except for the top and bottom mountings are integrated with respect to each other and with their sandwiched rails 40 while the latter are secured to opposed side members 12 and 14 by respective screws 46. The manner of assembly of the uppermost and lowermost scroll elements A1 and the securing of the transverse upper and lower extrusions 16 and 18 into mitered assembly with the side channels 12 and 14 will now be described.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and especially FIG. 6, it may be seen that a pair of ears 50 and 52 extend outwardly from the distal surface 48 of each scroll element A1 at a position corresponding to the position of each pin 32. Similarly, a pair of ears 54 and 56 also flush with the distal surface 48 corresponding to the position of the tapered holes 42. For the upper and lowermost rows of scroll elements Al, the pins 32 are lopped ofi substantially flush with the surface 48. The ears 50-52 and 54-56 are slid-ably inserted into the channels 58 of the upper and lower rail extrusions 16 and 18 where they are engaged by the inwardly turned toes 60 and 62 formed on the ends of the channel legs (see FIG. 2). The longitudinal spacing of the scroll elements A1 is determined by the locked position of these scroll elements on the intermediate rails 40. After the set of upper scroll elements A1 (and the lower set of scroll elements) in their composite grille design A have been inserted by their respective ears 50-52 and 54-56 into the channels 58, a bar 64 of ex truded aluminum stock is slidably inserted within the complementary channel space 58 between the ears engaging the toes 60-62 and the bight of the channel. Thereafter, the top channel member 16 (and the bottom channel member 18) is secured into mitered disposition with the side channel members 12 and 14 by passing a screw '66 through corresponding registering holes at the upper (and lower end) of the side channel members into threaded engagement with tapped holes axially extending into the ends of the bars 64. The bight of the channel 58 may be dimpled at 70 adjacent each end thereof by a suitable peening tool in order to swage the channel with respect to the bar to take up any clearance slack.

It is to be observed that the upper and lower set of scroll elements are inserted within the respective upper and lower channel members after the composite grille design A has been completed on the rails 40 but before the rails 40 have been assembled with respect to the side frame members 12 and 14. The side frame members 12 and 14 are then assembled to the top and bottom frame members 16 and 18 by threading screws 66 into the corresponding tapped holes in the ends of the bars 64. Thereafter, the screws 46 are threaded into engagement with the tapped holes axially extending into the ends of the intermediate rail bars 40 after passing through the aligned apertures vertically spaced along the side channel members 12 and 14. The frame C with its composite grille design A is then secured to the door panel B by sheet metal screws 20.

It should also be observed that it is possible to accurately space the upper and lower row of scroll elements into the top and bottom channels 16 and 18 Without first forming an intermediate row. That is, if the pins 32 are partially cut off the scroll elements designated for the upper and lower rows, the stumps of the pins can just project into openings 42 in the bars 64 so as to longitudinally space the scroll elements accurately on upper and lower rows. Thereafter, the intermediate scroll rows can be assembled to the upper and lower rows.

In FIG. 7, there is shown another scroll design element A2. The pins 32, the tapered holes 34 and the ears are all integrally formed thereon in a manner identical to the design A1.

What is claimed is:

1. A decorative grille comprising a frame including a pair of vertical channel members having mitered ends and a top and a bottom channel member, each having mitered ends and a substantially U-shaped cross-section with inwardly turned rails, a plurality of molded scroll elements each including integral pairs of cars outwardly extending from at least one edge thereof and flush with a distal surface of the edge, and bars of rectangular configuration having a length substantially the same as said top and bottom channel members, at least one scroll element being slidably inserted within the top and bottom channel members wih the ears engaging the inwardly turned rails thereof, and bars slidably inserted within the respective top and bottom channel members into the complementary space between the bights of the channels thereof and the distal surface at the edge of the scroll elements whose ears are in engagement with the inwardly turned rails, and means for securing the ends of said bars to the respective vertical channel members with adjacent mitered corners thereof in abutment.

2. The grille of claim 1 wherein a plurality of said scroll elements are longitudinally spaced from each other.

3. The grille of claim 2 including a plurality of rows of scroll elements intermediate the top and bottom channel members.

4. The grille of claim 2 wherein each of the intermediate rows includes scroll elements having integrally molded pins and tapered holes on opposing edges thereof spaced apart from each other by the same distance, pairs of the scroll elements being snapped together with one =bar therebetween by passing the corresponding pin of each of the scroll elements in the pair through a corresponding opening in the bar into interlocking engagement with the tapered hole in the other of the scroll elements in the pair, and means for securing the ends of the bars in the intermediate rows to the respective vertical channel members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 549,714 11/1895 Foster 52-311 1,105,791 8/1914 Irving 52-656 2,857,027 10/ 1958 Lindman 52-663 3,500,606 3/1970 Wharmby 52-589 2,699,960 1/ 1955 Callery -Dig 2 2,743,544 5/ 1956 Wilson 52-663 3,316,861 5/1967 Dailey 85-80 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner R. A. SCHWARTZ, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. .R. 

